The new episode of Bleach is bound to become the subject of discourse.
The long-awaited episode 22 of Bleach titled “Marching Out the Zombies” is about to hit the streaming services for international fans. It continues the confrontation between the Quincy Sternritters and the Shinigami squad. There’s one particular scene in the episode involving Gotei's Division 11 member Yumichika and Giselle, an elite Sternritter, that might stir some controversy.
During the battle between the two, Giselle, who possesses the ability to control and manipulate zombies, attempts to use her powers on Yumichika. In order to throw her off and catch her off guard, he makes a crude remark implying he can tell that she’s a man.
Giselle's gender has been a subject of debate and ambiguity ever since the character was first introduced in the manga. It has been revealed to us during Giselle’s fight with another character that Giselle identifies as female and prefers to be referred to as a woman.
The fandom is divided on whether the inclusion of the exchange between the two is necessary. It doesn’t help that, according to leaked information, some scenes that fans do want to see animated have been cut from future episodes. For example, Ichigo’s embarrassment at the sight of Orihime’s new outfit will apparently not be shown. We barely see these two interact outside of the context of battle, so fans’ disappointment is understandable here.
So, why include what many consider to be a transphobic comment in the show at all?
Well, Yumichika is a fighter. It makes sense for him to use any means possible to get under his enemies’ skin. It’s a sound strategy: all’s fair in love and war, as they say. Besides, he’s never been portrayed as some sort of a noble goody-two-shoes who’s above taking the low-hanging fruit he is handed; if he notices an insecurity, he’ll make fun of it. We’ve seen Bleach characters do much worse things throughout the series.
Unfortunately, fans know that once the episode sees the light of day, the discourse generated by Yumichika’s words will be hard to avoid in online fandom spaces. Gender is a sensitive topic, and the upcoming scene should not serve as an invitation to mock other people’s identities.
The new episode of Bleach is bound to become the subject of discourse.
The long-awaited episode 22 of Bleach titled “Marching Out the Zombies” is about to hit the streaming services for international fans. It continues the confrontation between the Quincy Sternritters and the Shinigami squad. There’s one particular scene in the episode involving Gotei's Division 11 member Yumichika and Giselle, an elite Sternritter, that might stir some controversy.
During the battle between the two, Giselle, who possesses the ability to control and manipulate zombies, attempts to use her powers on Yumichika. In order to throw her off and catch her off guard, he makes a crude remark implying he can tell that she’s a man.
Giselle's gender has been a subject of debate and ambiguity ever since the character was first introduced in the manga. It has been revealed to us during Giselle’s fight with another character that Giselle identifies as female and prefers to be referred to as a woman.
The fandom is divided on whether the inclusion of the exchange between the two is necessary. It doesn’t help that, according to leaked information, some scenes that fans do want to see animated have been cut from future episodes. For example, Ichigo’s embarrassment at the sight of Orihime’s new outfit will apparently not be shown. We barely see these two interact outside of the context of battle, so fans’ disappointment is understandable here.
So, why include what many consider to be a transphobic comment in the show at all?
Well, Yumichika is a fighter. It makes sense for him to use any means possible to get under his enemies’ skin. It’s a sound strategy: all’s fair in love and war, as they say. Besides, he’s never been portrayed as some sort of a noble goody-two-shoes who’s above taking the low-hanging fruit he is handed; if he notices an insecurity, he’ll make fun of it. We’ve seen Bleach characters do much worse things throughout the series.
Unfortunately, fans know that once the episode sees the light of day, the discourse generated by Yumichika’s words will be hard to avoid in online fandom spaces. Gender is a sensitive topic, and the upcoming scene should not serve as an invitation to mock other people’s identities.
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